TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

The General US Politics Thread

Go To

Nov 2023 Mod notice:


There may be other, more specific, threads about some aspects of US politics, but this one tends to act as a hub for all sorts of related news and information, so it's usually one of the busiest OTC threads.

If you're new to OTC, it's worth reading the Introduction to On-Topic Conversations and the On-Topic Conversations debate guidelines before posting here.

Rumor-based, fear-mongering and/or inflammatory statements that damage the quality of the thread will be thumped. Off-topic posts will also be thumped. Repeat offenders may be suspended.

If time spent moderating this thread remains a distraction from moderation of the wiki itself, the thread will need to be locked. We want to avoid that, so please follow the forum rules when posting here.


In line with the general forum rules, 'gravedancing' is prohibited here. If you're celebrating someone's death or hoping that they die, your post will get thumped. This rule applies regardless of what the person you're discussing has said or done.

Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

DrunkGirlfriend from Castle Geekhaven Since: Jan, 2011
#49776: Feb 15th 2013 at 7:47:32 PM

[up] -patpat-

There there, maybe this meteor business will get them some more funding.

"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -Drunkscriblerian
DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
Wandering Jew
#49777: Feb 15th 2013 at 7:49:27 PM

How do you defend against an asteroid anyway?

You send Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Steve Buscemi, Michael Duncan, and Peter Stormare into space to plant a bomb on the asteroid. Then you blow it up. cool

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#49778: Feb 15th 2013 at 7:55:49 PM

Blowing up the asteroid won't do any good. You turn a solid slug into a cloud of smaller, but no less lethal buckshot with the same kinetic energy as the original whole.

You need to deflect them. To that end, you need to apply a thrust of some kind, whether it be blowing up a big bomb nearby, attaching rockets to them, or, more realistically, firing a big honking ass laser at them to generate ablative thrust.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
DrTentacles Cephalopod Lothario from Land of the Deep Ones Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Cephalopod Lothario
#49779: Feb 15th 2013 at 7:58:29 PM

[up] Smaller debris will burn up faster in descent, however.

edited 15th Feb '13 7:58:45 PM by DrTentacles

DevilTakeMe Coin Operator from Wild Wasteland Since: Jan, 2010
Coin Operator
#49780: Feb 15th 2013 at 7:59:13 PM

[up][up][up] It only works if they have a sountdrack by Aerosmith and is directed by he who I shall not name.

In any case, every few years someone in Congress calls a hearing like this. I remember in the late 90s, there was one such hearing, and basically boiled down to "well, we don't know what to do, so if this boils down to money, we need to know how much we need to throw at it."

NASA has been on the job for awhile. I guess the hearing might just be seeing if NASA's come up with anything.

edited 15th Feb '13 8:01:56 PM by DevilTakeMe

Glove and Boots is good for Blog!
Lascoden ... from Missouri, USA Since: Nov, 2012
...
#49781: Feb 15th 2013 at 8:01:28 PM

[up][up]It is much harder to blow something to pieces then it is to just nudge it in a slightly different direction.

edited 15th Feb '13 8:01:40 PM by Lascoden

boop
Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#49782: Feb 15th 2013 at 8:01:45 PM

Well, to an extent. Mass burning away goes by exposed surface area, so if you blow it into buckshot small enough, most of that kinetic energy disperses in the upper atmosphere before it does too much damage to the surface.

Still, it'd take considerably less firepower to just to blast it off course.

edited 15th Feb '13 8:03:06 PM by Pykrete

DrunkGirlfriend from Castle Geekhaven Since: Jan, 2011
#49783: Feb 15th 2013 at 8:02:31 PM

@Tentacles: Yeah, but there's really no feasible way to make sure all the chunks are small enough to safely burn up in the atmosphere. You're more likely to get a ton of debris large enough to cause damage like in Russia than anything.

"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -Drunkscriblerian
OhnoaBear I'm back, baby. from Exiting, pursued by a... Since: Jan, 2011
I'm back, baby.
#49784: Feb 15th 2013 at 8:03:10 PM

@Tentacles: That's true, but not useful. If the asteroid could destroy all life by slamming into the ground, it can still destroy all life by slamming into the air. The energy output is the same either way.

edited 15th Feb '13 8:03:48 PM by OhnoaBear

"The marvel is not that the Bear posts well, but that the Bear posts at all."
DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
Wandering Jew
#49785: Feb 15th 2013 at 8:05:20 PM

@Fighteer,

Bruce Willis can do anything. Your science is invalid.

Senator McConnell advocates for bipartisan hemp bill

edited 15th Feb '13 8:06:13 PM by DeviantBraeburn

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016
DrTentacles Cephalopod Lothario from Land of the Deep Ones Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Cephalopod Lothario
#49786: Feb 15th 2013 at 8:08:09 PM

[up][up] Pretty sure atmosphere/air distrubutes force a lot better than earth does. Less chance of showing us with a choking cloud of photosynthesis blocking-dirt, as well.

But yeah, knocking something off course does sound better. I may just enjoy the idea of stuff blowing up too much.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#49787: Feb 15th 2013 at 8:09:27 PM

[up] Instead, you get a firestorm that burns everything for hundreds or thousands of miles. Not that much better if you think about it.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
DrTentacles Cephalopod Lothario from Land of the Deep Ones Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Cephalopod Lothario
#49788: Feb 15th 2013 at 8:13:32 PM

[up][up][up] Wait, seriously? That's a beautiful thing. I know it's not going to go nearly as well as I hope, but still..let me savor this moment.

[up] Either way, reason not to defund NASA #9000 (I was basically the space core as a wee little lad.)

edited 15th Feb '13 8:14:39 PM by DrTentacles

DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
DrTentacles Cephalopod Lothario from Land of the Deep Ones Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Cephalopod Lothario
#49790: Feb 15th 2013 at 8:29:04 PM

[up] Trust me, dignity is the last thing you'd be lending.

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#49791: Feb 15th 2013 at 8:40:25 PM

Well, the President's job is, at least in part, to showboat. Ritualized spectacle from the bully pulpit has become a part of his duties. That said, Scalia is probably right in that it's not his problem. While I would hardly call him apolitical, you won't find him playing politics.

Which is probably not a bad thing, since it means he's generally worth listening to, even if you disagree with him on everything.

Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#49792: Feb 15th 2013 at 8:40:31 PM

Eh. I'd agree with him on most of the State of the Union addresses, but at least this time Obama bothered to address a way to fix wages instead of just saying "yeah we'll totally magic-wand the economy so vote for me again".

edited 15th Feb '13 8:41:02 PM by Pykrete

deathpigeon Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: One True Dodecahedron
#49793: Feb 15th 2013 at 9:17:51 PM

shouldn't a community of free individuals be allowed to determine, within reason, what is or is not acceptable public dress for that community?

Sure, if they do so through direct democracy. However, that is not to say that acceptable public dress should be followed blindly. People should have the right to object to that through the avenue of civil disobedience or to reject that the majority has the right to dictate what the minority can or cannot do. Pure majority rule is still rule, and liberty is not the freedom to rule others, but the freedom to have individual autonomy and decide what is best for yourself without being forced or coerced to do or act in certain ways by others. (Notably, this means that stuff like murder and theft are an infringement of liberty because they interfere with a person's individual autonomy.)

This is basic anarchist theory, btw. Civil Disobedience, as in the work by Henry David Thoreau, is actually an anarchist work and has influenced anarchists, such as Leo Tolstoy (aka the writer of War and Peace and a major historical Christian anarchist and anarcho-pacifist).

Also, I should note, I'd amend that to say "free and equal individuals" rather than just "free individuals".

edited 15th Feb '13 9:19:16 PM by deathpigeon

TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#49794: Feb 15th 2013 at 9:20:58 PM

Awww, no minimum wage increase? Boooooo

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#49795: Feb 15th 2013 at 9:30:10 PM

What do you mean? It'll never pass Congress, of course — it was doomed from the start. It does, however, provide the President with a great opportunity to showcase how hypocritical Republicans are on the matter.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#49796: Feb 15th 2013 at 9:41:56 PM

he should make a big deal about that. Minimum wage increases typically motivate the democratic base. Gerry Mandered or not, Dems need to take as many house seats in the 2014 midterms as possible.

DeviantBraeburn Wandering Jew from Dysfunctional California Since: Aug, 2012
Wandering Jew
#49797: Feb 15th 2013 at 10:27:03 PM

Opposing minimum wag tends to motivate the Republican Base.

The 'Minimum Wage' thing has absolutely no chance of passing.

Lawmakers unveil The Marketplace Fairness Act, which resolves differences between three similar bills introduced in the last Congress, would give states the power to require out-of-state online retailers to collect sales tax.

CIA release 7 More Dead Bin Laden Pictures

edited 15th Feb '13 10:31:52 PM by DeviantBraeburn

Everything is Possible. But some things are more Probable than others. JEBAGEDDON 2016
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#49798: Feb 15th 2013 at 10:52:27 PM

Actually, a small majority of republicans favor a minimum wage increase. The motivation of dems over minimum wage increases is greater than the motivation of republicans over it. The opposite appears to be true regarding stem cell research mind you.

There's studies on this stuff!

Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#49799: Feb 16th 2013 at 12:58:50 AM

In the general public at least. The people that actually wind up in the houses because they're not Democrats are almost uniformly plutocratic douchebags that will stonewall any minimum wage increase on the table.

MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#49800: Feb 16th 2013 at 4:51:25 AM

Seriously, the one that passed us just now is large enough that it could easily wipe out most of a continent if it hit.
You talking about this? And on a side-note, I really should start keeping up to date on this Near-Earth Object threat business, because I did not know of this approaching asteroid at all until now.

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.

Total posts: 417,856
Top